November Music Favorites 2015

November, you taught me that you can use music to bridge new friendships, that worrying about what other people think is a waste of time, and to never stop dancing…

Lido

Lido came to Chicago’s Double Door venue, a small, intimate space intended for a chill but passionate crowd. I’ve seen Cashmere Cat and Mr. Carmack perform there as well. While openers COFRESI and Louis the Child were performing, I kept asking my friends what those…devices on stage were. Neither act was doing anything with these metal bars on stands that crowded the back corners of the stage.

When Lido came on, it was immediately clear. They were light displays, synced up to some guy’s computer in the back, who was controlling them to the rhythm of his music. They blinded the crowd with flashes of white at first, and then sent us to technicolor oblivion when they started changing colors and rotating.

I was really pleasantly surprised to learn that Lido actually sings on a lot of his tracks, like “I Love You” and “Lost“, in a warm, twisty voice that he warps to fit the style of the tracks.

Overall, I loved his performance. Chicago was the last stop on his tour, and he took a few minutes to speak to the crowd, inciting a roar of applause when he declared something like,

“This is the last stop of my tour, and I’m gonna play whatever the fuck I want.”

Not to mention, he brought out special guest Santell, who he worked with on his most recent work, The Passion Project. Together, they performed a bunch of singles off of the EP, like “Pillows” and “Ashley“, which is actually apparently an anagram for…

HALSEY, Lido’s on and off girlfriend, who popped on stage for a hot second to sing their track together, “Drive“.

Lido & Canblaster – Superspeed

Louis the Child

Louis the Child, graduates of Chicago suburb high school New Trier, are a local favorite, opening for both Lido and The Chainsmokers when they came earlier in November. Their music style is similar to artists like Wave Racer, Soy Sauce and Tobtok.

Zella Day – Compass (Louis The Child Remix)

COFRESI

COFRESI is all about live percussion. He syncs up his drums to the bass in his tracks, and puts so much enthusiasm and energy into his performance. Even though he was the first opener, I thought that his set was more engaging than that of Louis the Child.

Bellanova

Odesza (opener: Jai Wolf)

Jai Wolf’s live performance was better than I expected. He warmed up the crowd with lots of lively dance beats. It helps that Aragon Ballroom’s decor probably makes that venue one of the most visually appealing I’ve ever been to. With a disco ball and a star-studded ceiling that would make Van Gogh proud, Aragon got me feelin’ some type of way, so that by the time Odesza came on, I was…ready.

Holy crap, I identify with so many of their songs that every new track was sort of like a chance to relive a memory, you know? The crowd swelled with emotion and voiced their happiness raucously. It was like a feedback loop of support and encores.

One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, for sure.

Light ft. Little Dragon

Justin Bieber Purpose

This album got me. It got me good. I’ve always said that Justin Bieber has a real talent for singing, and finally, it seems like people are starting to realize this. Behind all of the media drama, JBiebs is just trying to live life and put out good music. He’s come a long way from his “Baby” days, and I think this newest album definitely reflects that.

He collabs with artists like Halsey, Travi$ Scott and Big Sean but also spins something magical all by himself, with tracks like “Been You” and “Company”. It’s been on shuffle all month.

No Sense – Justin Bieber & Travi$ Scott

Ta-ku

I’ve always loved Ta-ku for his remixes of tracks by Flume and Chet Faker as well as his Drive Slow, Homie mixes, but I only just discovered his album “Songs To Make Up To”, which are slower, more sensual and emotional tracks that captured my heart during November. Keep them coming, Ta-ku.

Hopeful

I fell asleep to this song on repeat on countless November nights. Amazing.

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I'm a writer, music enthusiast and foodie from Atlanta studying marketing and journalism at Northwestern. Here, I write about my favorite music, tell stories, give my past self advice and ruminate about the future. If you like food, check out my blog Cat the Critic!